Kindred Spirits
by TwitchingHades
Summary: Clara Voyance' just moved into that oh-so-famous apartment complex in Pasadena. With her love of video games, classical music, and super heroes, she fits right it in, in her new home, but she is haunted by something dark. Will her awkward, nerdy ways win the affections of the Theoretical Physicist, along with the rest of the group, or will her secrets push them all away? Sheldon/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Kindred Spirits: Chapter 1**

**So, I'm starting up a new fanfic, as it would seem! Haven't actually been into BBT in a while, but I suddenly got inspiration to revamp another story I started a while back, but never got around to posting...**

**This will eventually be Sheldon/OC; probably going to throw some Leonard/Penny in their, just because it's canon, and eventually Howard/Bernadette will come into it a little, but it is mostly centered around my OC and her... uh... "romance" with the infamously asexual Sheldon Cooper. This story is based more in the earlier seasons, before Amy comes in; as much as I love Amy, she is not needed in this story... But, as I have not seen the show in a while, don't expect it to follow along completely chronologically-wise.  
**

**Anyway, I'm a college student with a part time job, so_ don't expect quick and regular updates on this story._ I'll update when I have time and motivation to write, and there may be redonculously long periods in between chapters, or there may be a day in between chapters. It all depends on where life takes me, and I'm not a serious writer, so I'm not too worried about getting out stories on set intervals (in fact, I'll probably get more out, and better quality chapters, if I don't set a goal for them.)**

**Anyways, I own only my OC and her insanity, all other things belong to their rightful owners... C'est la vie!  
**

**Enjoy.**

**Edit: Thank you, jslee102, for pointing out a mistake! I wrote this chapter at 2AM, so you'll have to excuse my mistakes, I'll try not to do it again if I can avoid it. :)**

* * *

Clara trotted up the stairs of her new apartment complex, boxes in her hands towering up to her head, and headphones in her ears as Mendelssohn blared through her MP3 player. She hummed along quietly with some of the slower violin parts as she trudged her way up. By the third flight of stairs, she was nearly out of fuel and wished, not for the first time that the elevator was not covered in its "out of order" tape. She managed to make it to the fourth floor with all her bearings in tact, and she internally cheered. Her accomplishment was short lived, as she found herself colliding with something in front of her, letting out a quiet squeak as she fell back toward the stairs, the boxes in her hands only serving to add to the gravitational pull backwards.

She suddenly felt something warm against her upper back, a hand securing itself against her shoulder while another latched onto her forearm. When she was steady on her feet again, she let out a shuddering breath as her legs gave out on her. She fell onto her knees, setting the boxes in front of her and pulling her headphones out of her ears.

"Crap, that was close," she breathed out, small tremors vibrating her petite figure.

"Are you okay!?" a man shouted at her, sounding more than a little aggravated. With a jump, Clara looked up, her round, brown eyes locking with blue, narrowed ones. "Are you deaf?" The man asked again, signing out the question as he says it before repeating 'are you alright?' in sign language as well.

Clara let out a breathless laugh, signing back as she spoke. "No, but I appreciate your knowledge of sign language." She let out a soft sigh as she pulled herself up, dusting off her legs. "And, I'm fine, thank you." She gave the man a small smile, looking over his features quickly. Short, brown hair, well kept. A Green Lantern t-shirt, with a long sleeve shirt underneath, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He was tall and thin, and he reminded Clara of a green bean. She smiled at the thought.

"You should really pay attention to where you're going," the man stated with a slight scowl. "You could hurt yourself - or someone else."

"Right, sorry, I'll be more careful." Clara quickly averted her gaze, staring down at her shoes in embarrassment. She started a bit as she realized the clothes scattered about the floor, about half of what appeared to have previously been in a laundry basket by the man's feet. "Oh, I-I'm so sorry!" Clara apologized again, quickly kneeling to grab the clothes and throw them back into the basket.

"Hey- no, don't touch that!" the man haughtily ordered, trying to quickly grab his dirty clothes before she got to-

"Eep!" Clara let a slight squeal as she grabbed a pair of boxers, her face on fire when realizing the unmentionables, and she quickly tossed it into the basket before standing. "S-sorry!"

The man's face went red, and he scowled slightly at her, though his anger was hard to identify past his embarrassment. "I told you not touch it," he seethed slightly, finishing picking everything up and putting it in its rightful spot. As he did, he stood, the laundry basket under his arm, and he hastily fled down the stairs.

"I-uh, th-thank you for your... help..." Clara called after the man, but he was already out of sight before she could finish. With a pitiful groan, she turned back to her boxes, picking them up and heading to room 4C to set her boxes inside. "I'm such an awkward idiot..." she moaned to herself quietly.

* * *

Clara was rushing down the stairs, nearly finished moving all of her boxes and suitcases into her new apartment. She had not seen the Green Bean (as she had affectionately nicknamed him) since their first encounter, and she was more than a little grateful for that small mercy. She heaved her over-stuffed suitcase up the stairs, paying attention to her surroundings this time, and she set the luggage down with a huff upon reaching the forth floor. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the door to her left, labelled 4A, opened.

"Oh, hey there," said a short man, about Clara's height, with curly brown hair and matching eyes behind thick-rimmed glasses. He sported a plain t-shirt with a jacket over it, and a goofy smile. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?"

Clara, still catching her breath, nodded slightly at the question.

"I don't mean to pry or anything, sorry," Leonard said, an apologetic smile on his face. "I was just curious."

"No, no, it's fine." Clara breathed out, giving a small smile. "I'm Clara. I just moved in to 4C, so I guess I'm your new neighbor?"

"Yep. I'm Leonard." He smiled in return, looking a bit relieved that she didn't seem creeped out by his question or anything. "Do you need any help with that bag?" He asked, eying the large, red suitcase in her hands.

"Nope." Clara smiled wider at him, pulling up the handle on the top it to show it was a roll-able suitcase. "I think I can handle it from here." And, she did just that, pulling the suitcase along behind her to her door.

"Oh, well, if you have more to carry up, I'd be happy to help." He smiled as he watched her, shuffling awkwardly from one foot to the other as she turned and contemplated his offer.

"I suppose you could help... I do have a few more boxes to bring up, and it would take less trips if I had help..." She smiled at him, a small, uneasy smile, before turning and putting her suitcase in her apartment. "Sure, why not?" With that, she led the way down the stairs and to her minivan, moving the rest of her boxes into her apartment with the help of her new neighbor.

* * *

Leonard set his last box down by the door, letting out a huff as he straightened out. "Well, that's the last of it." He smiled a bit, seemingly grateful that the job was done.

"Yeah, it is," Clara confirmed, her voice a bit flat at the obvious statement. She stood up straight after setting her last box down, beaming at Leonard. "Thank you for your help, Leonard."

Leonard's ears turned red at the attention, and he shuffled a bit awkwardly. "It was no problem, Clara." There was a short silence between the two, full of pure, unadulterated _awkward_ as the two stared at each other. Clara broke the eye contact first, quickly becoming uncomfortable with his presence. "Um, hey," Leonard started cheerily, sensing her discomfort. "Would you maybe like to join me for dinner tonight? Well, I mean, it's not just me. I have a roommate, Sheldon, and our other neighbor on this floor will probably be joining us. Penny; you'll like her, I'm sure. She's really nice. And - I'm rambling, sorry." He shuffled on his feet again, and if Clara had not deemed herself forever asexual, she may have found his antics somewhat cute.

She smiled slightly at him and shook her head. "I would love to, but I really just want to unpack and relax tonight," she replied, rejecting his offer as kindly as she could.

"Oh, right, that's understandable." Leonard shuffled again, scratching his head as he looked away.

"I'll take a rain-check on that, though, if you don't mind?"

"Yeah, of course." Leonard smiled a goofy, lopsided smile at her.

Another awkward silence ensued. Clara, once again, broke eye contact, stuffing her hands into her jean pockets.

"Right, well, I'll see you later then." Leonard waved shortly as he backed out of the apartment.

"Yep, see ya," Clara replied with a small smile, returning the wave.

With that, Leonard disappeared back into his apartment, and Clara shut the door on the world. She turned back to her living room, which had boxes scattered about. She rolled up the sleeves on her long-sleeved baseball-type shirt and let out a sigh. "Time to get cracka-lackin'," she muttered as she started on the first box, opening it and deciding where she wanted the contents of it to go.

* * *

**There you have it, chapter 1. Hope you all enjoyed. Comments are welcome and appreciated, but please don't just comment telling me to update quickly. I don't respond well demands, it usually makes me procrastinate more, or do a crappy job. :"D**

**So, just keep an eye out for updates here and there. If it's been forever long since my previous update, I'll add a recap for the readers' convenience. Have a good day, everyone! :)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here it is, ladies and... Well, I'm guessing it's just ladies... some gay guys, perhaps... Anyhow, here is the next installment of my story! Enjoy as you watch the hilarity ensue.  
**

* * *

Clara slept in the next morning to the best of her ability, enjoying her lazy Sunday as she snuggled further down into her air mattress, her mass of covers pulled over her head. The only visible part of her was her frayed, honey-blonde hair that popped out from under the blankets. She turned, trying to regain the comfort she'd had before awaking. She tossed the other way, letting out a huff of air. With a sigh, she threw the blankets off of her head, staring at the white ceiling above. She yawned a loud, unladylike yawn as she pushed her hair out of her face, glancing at her cell phone to check the time. It read 8:00 AM.

With a groan, she sat up, stretching her arms above her head. At the pop in her lower back, she let out a content sigh, then got up to start her morning routine. When she was sufficiently clean - dressed in a baggy, pale pink, long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of jeans, and her short hair was pulled back into a pony-tail - she departed in search of food. She had just reached the stairs when something caught her attention.

"What do you mean Howard isn't coming?" a shrill voice whined from the other side of the door to 4A.

"He caught the flu, he can't make it." She recognized the voice as Leonard.

"Probably from swapping saliva with all those harlots he picks up..." The shrill voice deepened quite a bit at that comment, and Clara would have missed it if the door had not opened. She smiled as she saw Leonard walk out of the apartment, followed by the tall man that she had seen the day before and another man with dark skin and hair. All three were clad in camouflage gear, helmets included.

"Leonard, Green Bean!" Clara greeted, flushing slightly as she realized her mistake. "Oh, sorry, I never did get your name. I'm Clara." She smiled at the tall one, offering a small wave.

He looked offended at the nickname, and more than a little reluctant to tell her his name. Her smile faltered.

"This is my roommate Sheldon, and my friend Raj" Leonard provided helpfully, narrowing his eyes at his roommate. "Guys, this is Clara. She just moved into 4C."

"Why was I not informed of this?" Sheldon asked incredulously.

"Because, you don't need to approve of anyone who moves into the building. Anyway, Clara, we were just on our way to go play some paintball..." He lifted the paintball gun, as though explaining it would make him look better in the matching camo. "Would you like to join us? One of our friends is sick, and our best player had to work today."

Clara's eyes are shining at the invitation.

"Absolutely not!" Sheldon interjected. "I will not allow... _her_," he spat the word like it tasted bad in his mouth, a vehement glare directed at Clara, "to be a part of this team!"

"Sheldon, the required minimum is four players, you know that. If we don't find a fourth, we have to forfeit to the Archeologist group..." All three of them shudder at the thought.

"We can find someone else, I'm sure!" Sheldon continued to protest.

"Who else do we know that would be willing to put up with you?" Leonard shot back. He then turned to Clara with a nervous smile as Sheldon glared at him. "I mean, he's not _that _bad, really. I'm sure you would be able to put up with him..." He seems to be sticking his foot in his mouth at this point.

"Actually, if it helps change your mind, Sheldon, I'm trained and certified with a gun, and I used to go paint-balling with my big brother all the time. I like to think that I'm kind of a pro at it." Clara smiled proudly. Her smile disappears when Sheldon scoffs at her statement.

"As if _you_ could be of any use on the battlefield," Sheldon says haughtily. "You can't just bat your eyes at the enemy and expect them to let you shoot them. It takes skill to win a battle."

"Well, actually," Leonard starts quietly, obviously getting uncomfortable with the conversation, and hoping to put it to an end.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Clara shoots right back, her face reddening at the insult, both parties ignoring Leonard. She takes a step closer, getting into Sheldon's personal space. Sheldon takes a step back, looking almost scared as the shorter woman leers closer to him. "I am just as capable as the rest of you. _Trust me_."

"I don't trust you," Sheldon states, his eyes wide and almost seeming a mix between predatorial and dear-caught-in-a-headlight. "And frankly, I don't think you would be of any use to us. Good day." With that, he side-stepped the girl and started heading down the stairs. Clara glared after him, her hands clenched at her sides.

"Clara, don't mind him, he's just..."

"Hold that thought, Leonard," Clara interrupted, holding a hand out to silence him. "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is, _Green Bean_?"

Sheldon stopped in his tracks, slowly pivoting around to face her as she took a few, long strides closer to him. He was a few steps down, and they were at eye-level now. Brown locked with blue as they both glared at each other. Sheldon's eye twitched in annoyance.

"You're on," Sheldon growled through his teeth.

Clara smiled with glee, all anger vanishing from her demeanor. "Yes! I'll show you just how awesome I am."

"I think Penny's armor might fit her, don't you think, Raj..?" Leonard asked as he tilted his head in his friend's direction, a little baffled by the events that just took place.

"No need, I have my own camo!" Clara stated. "Give me five minutes, I'll be right back!" With that, she rushed back into her apartment.

"What... Just happened?" Raj asked, his gaze following Clara, going to Sheldon, and then returning to the closed door that the girl disappeared through.

"I... Have no idea," was Leonard's response as he mimicked Raj's movement.

* * *

There she stood on the battlefield, her professional camouflage suit under the matching bulletproof vest she wore over her torso. She had a helmet on her head, the slightly tinted visor down to protect her eyes. In her arms was her modified, semi-automatic paintball gun, which she was promptly loading with the correct color of paint balls. Around her waist was a belt, which contained a back-up handheld paintball gun and multiple cartridges of extra paint. The boys were, needless to say, stunned at her level of preparation. None had yet to utter a word about it, even though the match was about to start.

Clara double-checked to make sure her handheld was loaded correctly, pushing the cartridge back in before putting the gun back in its holster. "You boys ready?" She asked, a slight smirk on her face as she turned to them. They all looked dumbfound.

"I have to ask," Leonard started tentatively as he looked her up and down. "What's up with all the equipment?"

Clara bit her lip, a bashful smile playing on her face. "I told you," she said, her tone bordering embarrassed, "my older brother and I used to do this sort of thing all the time. We always took it very seriously; no mercy. If you're not prepared, you're dog food." She rubbed the grip of her rifle-style gun as she lifted it, staring off at a random spot to test her aim. "So, I got prepared. And I got good."

"Your brother seems kinda... intense..." Leonard mumbled. Clara laughed.

"That's a nice way of putting it, I guess." She shook her head in amusement, as if shaking the thought from her head. "So, like I asked before, are you guys ready, or what?"

Clara led the way out of what they had deemed their base. She sneaked on silent feet, turning her head slightly as she tapped her helmet lightly with her hand vertical and her thumb tucked in; to signal for file formation. She looked back briefly to see the boys looking on in confusion.

"It means _file formation_," she hissed in a hushed tone, repeating the motion. They followed her command this time, Sheldon following right behind her, and Raj taking up the rear.

"I know what it means, but how do _you_?" Sheldon whispered back.

"Military."

"You were in the military!?" Leonard squeaked. Clara held her fist up; freeze; turning to send the man an intense glare.

"Quite. And no, _god_ no. I would have died in the military. My brother, of course." She saw a large enough cover for the four of them to hide safely behind. Seeing no enemy near by, she waved her hand in a circle above her and pointed to the object. Sheldon took the lead, taking cover behind the barrier and repeating the motion. The other two followed suit. Clara stood at the far end, back against the wall as she scoped out the area. She heard a rustle of feet on grass, quickly pinning down the enemy location. She put a hand up by her ear, then patted her forearm, followed by holding up two fingers, signalling to the boys that she heard two enemy nearby.

She pointed at Sheldon, motioning for him to cover the opposite side of their barrier; just in case they decided to walk that way. She stayed on her side, watching and waiting patiently for her opening. Wait, just a little closer... and... There! She turned the corner, her gun at the ready, and shot four shots in total; they were so close together that they were barely distinguishable. Grunts were heard from the opposing men as the fell to the ground, a few choice words slipping from both their mouths.

She took a moment to revel in the victory, a smile pulling at her lips as she looked around for more enemy. She moved back around to her cover, replacing the paint balls she had shot. "This is fun," she mused quietly, unable to hide her smile.

Sheldon looked on in amazement. He was not typically one to follow orders from others, but even he had to admit that Clara knew what she was doing. Not only was she able to take down half of the other team in a matter of seconds, but she also knew a wide range of hand signals and was observant enough to place the enemy's location from sound alone. He felt a lump in his throat, seeing now that his initial judgment of her abilities was, dare he say it, _wrong_. Not that he would ever actually admit that out loud. No, Sheldon Cooper was never wrong, that would just be illogical.

But, perhaps there is more to this girl than meets the eye. . .

* * *

**There you are, some fun, military-style paintball fight...**

**In all honesty, I don't know how accurate any of those signals were... Google gave me a lot of different types of hand signals, and some were different that meant the same thing... I'm assuming it's all context-related changes, but I'm sticking with what I've got :"D**

**Hope you enjoyed it! Hopefully I'll have more out soon, but we'll see how well my writing functions between 20 or so hours of work a week, topped with my 3-hour-long summer class, 5 days a week... Oh, gosh, I might just die, you guys... No break for me this summer... :"""D**


End file.
